Insight from Buddha

Are We Doing Enough For Those Who Have Served and Sacrificed?

This is but a mere drawing, but sadly it is the reality for far too many veterans who have served the United States of America and sacrificed themselves dearly in the process. Ensuring their continued care and support throughout the remainder of their lives is the right thing to do and is the proper expression of gratitude for giving so much of themselves toward keeping us safe.

Unfortunately this picture is a reality that just should not be.

The Opportunity To Do More

There is a saying . . .

"There are no traffic jams when you go the extra mile."

While I do not know who coined this saying, it is remarkably true when applied to most aspects of our lives. When we extend ourselves beyond expectation, we are transcending simply doing the correct or just thing by making a figurative statement that you are willing and able to do more than what is necessary.

Be it at your job, within your relationships, school, being charitable or in your home, when life presents us with the opportunity to do more, most people decline, opting for meeting expectations or rather doing just enough to get by. The idea of doing more is often too much, requiring too much energy and too much time. But what if we considered the idea of doing more as an opportunity that has been granted, perhaps even gifted to us? Again, there are no traffic jams when you go the extra mile. Sure, there may be more effort demanded of you initially, but the end result will undoubtedly be better than you could have ever imagined doing only what was expected.

Life does not demand that we go above and beyond in all that we do, but when we do, the reward is great. When we succumb to just getting by, life has a way of perpetuating your status of just getting by. So, consider doing more and be grateful for the opportunity and ability. You may not see the reward today, but your future will be grateful you did.

A Reality Check: Being Grateful For Space

Oprah Winfrey is one of the wealthiest women in the world, but she attributes much of her success to being aware of the world at large, being charitable and expressing gratitude. On a recent trip to India, the media mogul visits a family of five--a husband, wife and their three daughters--who live in what are considered the slums of the heavily populated city in which they live. Amazingly, their home, accommodating five people, is no bigger than a typical American, walk-in closet.

Pictured above is a screenshot of the family welcoming Oprah into their home. This room comprises their entire life. During the interview the father mentions that he has been living there his entire life; some 33 years. Notice, there is no private bathroom, not even a sink with running water.

Having little space to film, the cameramen are forced to squeeze into the doorway to film the discussion between Oprah and this family. She asked one of the daughters if she was happy and without hesitation she smiled and said, "Yes!" Oprah then asked the father what his dream was for his family and he was unable to maintain his composure. Surely, he is grateful for what he has, but he longs for a better life, if not for himself, then certainly for his daughters.

 

This is the face of gratitude. This family is one of millions around the world who are forced to make the most of so little. In the midst of such circumstances, this child is a beacon of light and inspiration, brighter than any self serving, entitled youth of America. We are so fortunate, yet it takes seeing the world for us to really appreciate how fortunate we are within our home borders, within our own space.


Special thanks to Huffington Post

"May I Have Your Attention, Please"

In life there are things, opportunities and experiences that are worthy of gratitude, yet go unappreciated until it is too late. We may tell ourselves that we are doing our best to devote what time we can or that we have invested all the appreciation that is necessary to maintain a presence or some semblance of a relationship, but this is similar to paying only the minimum of a credit card payment.

Soon the interest rate increases because you are leaving a balance every month. Perhaps a few of your payments are late. You then incur fees. Neglect can lead to the card being maxed out and notices of failure to pay will be sent to you via mail and email. Finally, the phone calls begin badgering you throughout the day and, in most cases, you are forced to address the problem rather than avoid it with the hope of it just going away.

This behavior will eventually lead to having bad credit. When dealing with something that is owed gratitude rather than money, expressing a lack of appreciation is synonymous with having bad credit. Soon, that thing, opportunity or experience will be repossessed and granted to someone else and you will be left wishing you had been more diligent, more responsible, more appreciative.

What may be receiving your attention may be the very thing that is leading to your downfall, preventing you from addressing that which is most important.

So, look around and be honest with yourself. Have you neglected anything?

A Simpler Time

Living in Hollywood you grow to expect the unexpected, but this image of two horses tied up outside of the shopping center I frequent forced me to pause and think of simpler times; when the pace of life was slower, when my responsibilities were few in number. It is so easy to take life for granted these days. Before you know it, another decade has gone by.

Hopefully you are able to look back on your life with an air of gratitude for what you have learned, what you have achieved, growth and perhaps even the simpler times.

Gratitude Heals: Inspiration from Joan Buchman, Fibromyalgia patient

The following passage is taken from an article written by Joan Buchman who has been coping with Fibromyalgia, a condition that is characterized by excruciating pain in your muscles and pressure points on the body.

Her words are truly inspiring and a sincere testament to the power of Gratitude.


Learning the Power of Gratitude

Janette taught me to treasure what I have right now. Gratitude means appreciating what you have and making the most from that. So I began to express in my journal appreciation for people in my life and my life as it was. That led to feelings of gratitude for the lessons I had been learning about myself because of my illness. I had learned that moving as fast as I could, doing as much as possible, was not making me happy. I was not taking any time to nurture my physical, mental or emotional needs. I believe that my body was shouting at me to slow down and savor life.

I think I would have learned about gratitude on my own by writing the Gratitude Journal for that entire year. But Janette, as a shining example of experiencing gratitude during a crisis, gave me a crash course in finding gratitude in my life. From Janette's model of living her last days with grace and appreciation of everything she had right then, I learned that I can live a happy and peaceful life with my chronic illness.

In fact, I would even say I am grateful for FMS, for without it, I would not have been forced to take a close look at how I was living. My life today is not the life I had imagined, but, looking back, I realize that I was not on a track for happiness and peace. Because of FMS, I have had the opportunity to find out what is really important for me to live a fulfilling and meaningful life.

Gratitude is not about "looking at the bright side" or denying the realities of life. Gratitude goes much deeper than that. It's about learning from a situation, taking the good to help deal with other challenges in the future. It's about finding out that you have more power over your life than you previously imagined. You can stop being a victim of your circumstances and reach out to the joy in living. If you open your heart to the good in your life, gratitude becomes as much a part of your life as breathing.

So I continue to write in my Gratitude Journal. Only now, I do it in my head, every minute of every day. I do not limit myself to five lines.

The gift I gave myself that Christmas of the Gratitude Journal changed my life. After struggling with FMS for years, searching for answers and cures, I was finally able to reach a level of acceptance that has dramatically improved my quality of life. I am better at pacing my activities, listening to my body and have more patience with myself and others. I have found joy at every turn, from appreciating the beauty of nature to improved relationships with family and friends.

I still have muscle pain and fatigue. Those symptom levels remain fairly constant. But that journal opened the door to unconditional happiness with the hand I was dealt. I can look beyond the pain and fatigue and look forward to each day and the joy it will bring. And it all started with a book I saw at a bookstore amid the hustle and bustle of Christmas shopping.

The full article can be found at this link. I highly recommend it.

The Healing Power of Gratitude

If Only Kindness Were As Motivating As Revenge

Revenge is one of the most powerful motivators known to the human race. It can be said that when considering the architecture of our human design, there is an aspect, perhaps as small as a single block-molecule, that ignites a desire to exact revenge upon those who commit wrong-doings against us and with whom we share allegiance.

Most of us have the self control to subdue these feelings and forgive. But we can all recall stories of extreme measures of revenge taken by people who become consumed with getting even with those who have wronged them.

As the old saying goes, "two wrongs do not make a right." You may feel as though justice as been served and many cultures do uphold laws that are based on the principle of "eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth." But does this really restore balance and harmony in the wake of an offense or does this only leave two people crippled, no better off than they were before any offense was committed?

Now, imagine if kindness were as motivating as revenge. What would the world be like? Considering the passion with which some people commit crimes motivated by revenge, the human race would see an amazing influx of awareness and consideration for the well being of our fellow man based on kindnesses expressed from one person to another and those kindnesses being paid forward in a seemingly ending chain.

Most people absorb kindness and acknowledge that kindness graciously, yet they find little time or motivation to exact a kindness in return or to pay that kindness forward to another. Imagine what the world would be like if we did. It is a shame that we are limited to dreaming of such things.

Honoring Our Planet

April 22, 2012 is Earth Day. This is the one day out of the year that has been designated as the day we honor our planet. But is one day enough?

The Earth has been revolving for billions of years, ever changing, all while accommodating more life than any other known planet. We owe our existence to the Earth, yet today, based on the way people live and consume, the Earth seemingly spends more time revolving around us rather than on it's natural trajectory.

Gratitude for Earth is no where near what it needs to be, but this shall be dealt with as Earth has done forever. What we do not appreciate today can be easily taken away tomorrow. Earth is no exception.

Nature's Details: A Jungle Right Outside of Los Angeles

Nature teaches more than she preaches. There are no sermons in stones. It is easier to get a spark out of a stone than a moral.

- John Burroughs

 

Today . . .

When the bar is raised higher and we are forced out of our comfort zones, there is not greater feeling than knowing that there is a support system in place, designed specifically to see you succeed if the will to succeed is within you.

Thoughts from the Cheap Seats

A man is very apt to complain of the ingratitude of those who have risen far above him.
- Samuel Johnson

Society at large and various media outlets make a point of targeting those who have more, holding them to a higher standard and pointing out flaws in character or behavior for the sake of making conversation. The truth is, it simply is not fair to presume that because someone has more, that they are by default prone to being ungrateful.

What does complaining achieve? What to we gain and what impact does complaining have on us and our lives? When we examine our present situations and compare them to those who have more, how does this exercise serve a greater good? Hopefully, those more fortunate examples inspire and lead with positivity, but if not, who are we to complain about their behavior?

The fruits of ingratitude will always be realized. This you can be sure of. We need not file a complaint to ensure that the ungrateful are served their just dues.

Benjamin Franklin wrote, "Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain and most fools do."

If life currently has you situated in the cheap seats, anyone can relate to not wanting to being where you presently are. You perhaps may be grateful to be where you are. But nothing is gained from searching for ingratitude in others. Seek only that which inspires you to do and be more, to move forward, to get better seats in the show called Life.

A Sense of Security

When one is grateful for something too good for common thanks, writing is less unsatisfactory than speech--one does not, at least, hear how inadequate the words are.
- George Eliot

A homeless man who is offered a warm meal and a dry room will most likely be desperately grateful to take advantage of such an opportunity, for a lack of shelter goes against the sense of modern human necessity; what most people consider a basic right. Utilizing that room for one night would certainly be a pleasure, but on this man's mind will be whether or not he will have a room tomorrow or the next night. Odds are, this pleasure will be short lived.

You would think that with the ability to afford more, there would naturally come a corresponding and unwavering increase in our sense of appreciation, but is this the case for those fortunate enough to have in relation to those who have not? Security is the defining element. How secure we feel in our surroundings completely dictates how we respond to where we live and how we view the things we have.

Being homeless affords next to no security. You and your possessions are at the mercy of the environment. This is why a solitary room can mean so much while being so little. In contrast, being wealthy provides tremendous security. When, where and if there will be a home to go to in the evening is never a question. A wealthy man simply goes home and enjoys the fruits of his labor.

This is not to say that wealth breeds ingratitude--surely, anyone who has worked hard for what they have is grateful for the opportunity to achieve and provide for their families--but rather to point out the glaring dichotomy in appreciative sensations felt by those living at varying degrees of security. Money is nothing compared to a guaranteed sense of security, regardless of how this may be acquire.

Next to family, our homes provide the greatest sense of security we have. Ask anyone who has experienced a foreclosure what it is like to have that sense of security stripped away. The time from which a notice is given until the actual seizure of property can be years. In that time period, I cannot help but wonder what it must be like to come home every day knowing that the next day may very well be the last. 

When we are fortunate enough to have, saying "I am grateful" does not match being grateful; living and behaving gratefully. You may have the greatest sense of security in the world and your home may be a fortress, but you would be foolish to think that your security is impervious to the forces of nature and the principles of Karma.

No one is guaranteed security, thus giving us reason to be grateful every day for the safety we are granted.

For When You Think the Adventure is Over

This grand old airstream trailer looked as though it had been neglected in a corner of its equally neglected culdesac for years, but seeing it ignited a desire for adventure. I just wanted to shine it up and take it on a road trip with my buddies. Surely some good times must have been had within its retro shell back when it was cared for and functional. Now, it sits, waiting for someone to come along with the vision and resources to bring it back to life or perhaps re-purpose it for something completely different.

There is something to be learned from this lonely airstream. That lesson is that the adventure has not ended. Yes, it is easy to assume that this trailer has seen its best days fade away into time and space but, it still exists.

Your life functions the same way. Life is an adventure. That adventure does not end or pause because you have children or because you accept a very demanding job or you lose a job or relationship. With every passing day the adventure evolves, if ever so slightly. Change is the only inevitable constant that exists. What we do with that change or how we respond to it, is solely up to us.

This airstream is inspiring. Yes, there will be times when we feel neglected or life seems to build barrier upon barrier around your ever shrinking, stagnant pond of recycled opportunity, but this to is part of the adventure that allows us to appreciate all the more, when our lives are polished and restored to either their former grandeur or something completely new and exciting that we would have never expected in a million years.

The adventure is not over until you are over. Be sure to make the most of it.

Is There Only So Much?

I had a conversation with a gentleman today about gratitude and he asked if he could shake my hand. Of course I obliged, but while shaking my hand he said, "You're a better man than me. There's only so much I can be grateful for."

An inspiring response failed to manifest itself and the gentleman walked away seemingly aware of something that he would rather not share. Well beyond his prime but nonetheless gregarious, there was a polite cynicism; a distrust in my passionate belief in the power of gratitude. He smiled at me as if I were naive. Perhaps he was kind enough to save any words of wisdom that might undermine my enthusiasm or perhaps not, instead leaving me to discover in my own time an awakening that would ultimately see me become just as cynical.

Needless to say, his response left me questioning what people are truly grateful for and how, over the course of a lifetime, does gratitude really play out. The sum of this man's reality, whatever that reality may be, has given him reason to deliberately limit that which he is grateful for. Even if his statement was made in jest, his words left a lasting impression. 

To say there is something wrong with his allocation of gratitude is asinine. To each their own. But how many people out there--all over the world--feel or believe that there is only so much to be grateful for? Does transcending the limitations of our ability to appreciate require more time, effort and energy than many or most can spare? Do less than ideal or perhaps even terrible circumstances warrant a cap being placed on what we are or should be grateful for? Is it perhaps just an aspect of the human design to enable and accept some ingratitude in response to life as we individually experience it?

Answers to these questions may elude me forever, but this I am certain of: being grateful is a personal choice of which the limitations are solely controlled by us as individuals. External influences can be used as an excuse but the measure of a persons expressed gratitude is completely hinged upon how compelled you are to give thanks for what you are, what you have, what you have experienced and the life you live.

Be as grateful as you want to be or perhaps not. You are free to believe and behave as you chose. But know that life is better when gratitude is expressed and there are no boundaries inhibiting that gratitude from permeating the world around you.

One Good Thing About Music . . .

"One good thing about music, when it hits you feel no pain." - Bob Marley

The power of music is immeasurable. Music can heal, sooth, inspire, console, revitalize, energize, uplift, anger, and much more. 

I was inspired to post this song from Bob Marley because I feel that music is making a resurgence in my life, transcending beyond being the pace keeper of my work day and the ambient sound of my home. I am so grateful for music and so many artist that have produced masterful works across numerous genres. What better way to express gratitude for music than through song? 

Stay tuned. 

Good News

What is good news to you? What has to happen for you to feel a sense of sincere gratitude? Life has a way of getting your attention by giving and taking and today I was reminded of this during a phone call with a dear friend.

This individual has endured tremendous personal and financial loss. Opportunities for recovery have been miniscule at best. But today she called me with joy in her voice after years of relying upon sparse income and assistance from family and friends to announce that she had made her first $100 dollars from a completely foreign venture that she was forced to learn just to survive beyond this month.

The sound of gratitude is unmistakable. To so many of us, $100 is but a mere drop in the bucket. We spend more on fast food and coffee in a weeks time. But do we express gratitude for the $100 dollars that affords us such conveniences? My guess is hardly.

Good news is all around us. You just have to pay attention or rather, chose to be grateful even if you are struggling to identify specifics. If not, life will open your eyes by taking from you that which has distracted you from what is really important.

Revelation vs. Revolution

Only I can change my life. No one can do it for me.

- Carol Burnett

Carol Burnett was absolutely right when she said these words and they apply to all of us. But the challenge that most of us face is initiating change. 

Revelations happen all the time. These are the ideas, desires, wants, dreams, ambitions, and goals that flip our subconscious light switches and massage our gut instincts. Some fall by the wayside over time but others smolder in the recesses of our minds as nagging reminders of what could be in relation to what is. We all have those revelations that ignite excitement within us, but whatever happens to those revelations? Do you act upon them or do you allow them to retreat to safety? 

Well, my friend, you should take a good hard look in the mirror, because you are a revolutionist. You have within you the militant force of "I can" and "I will" and "Yes" that can force any of your revelations to the front line of possibility. Of course failure is a very real aspect of that possibility, but without starting your inner revolution, there is no possibility. You are stagnant.

For some, the idea of a revolution, leap of faith or overhaul of self and career is the last thing you want to endure. But no matter what station in life you are in, you must remember that it is your life. You are the only one who can make the change you want to see happen. Once you have made up your mind that you want nothing more than to venture down that path, help will gravitate to you, but you must initiate the journey and supply yourself with enough motivational fuel to finish along side those who have helped you or completely alone.

Start your revolution. Possibility is waiting.

The Courage to Purge

When and if we are honest with ourselves, we can often identify those forces, influences, habits or possessions that actively work against our overall well being, harmony and happiness. 

Unfortunately, the act of purging can be very difficult. Emotional attachment, wanting to remain popular and various other reasons can prevent us from living our best lives. In truth, it takes courage to purge. For some people, getting rid of old, meaningless items can prove to be incredibly challenging, but these instances are rare. Purging things like a smoking habit or things we just do not use yet hold on to in the event of something are more common.

A purging challege that we can all identify with is the purging of people. There is an old addage that states that some friends are for a lifetime and some friends are for a season. Be that as it may, separating yourself from a person who diminishes your quality of life can be devistatingly hard because of the history shared between the two of you. The process can take months or even years, as you grow apart in directions uniquely suited to your individual interests. Or, you could abruptly sever the connection in one fell swoop, going so far as to clear out all reminders of that relationship. No one wants to ever find themselves in this situation, but sometimes it is necessary.

Purging can manifest in many different forms, but if we all evaluted ourselves and our homes, there are bound to be things that do nothing but chip away at our quality of life. If not, then you are on a prosperous path.

For the rest of us, we many have to dig a little deeper to discover the courage within to remove toxins from our lives. Perhaps the opportunity to recirculate useful items to others will present itself, but before you think about others, think about yourself and what it means to live and function at your very best. You will be grateful you did.

Great Inspiration from a Holocaust Survivor: Alice Herz-Sommers

Alice Herz-Sommers in an accomplished pianist and author at the age of 108, but she is also a Holocaust survivor. There is not much one can say about the experience of being a Holocaust victim without inciting unimaginable dread, but Alice has a very different take on her experience. She says that throughout her time in the concentration camps, she always smiled, looking only where there is good.

She expresses gratitude for absolutely everything, even her time as a detainee. Does she hate her former captors? Her answer is no.

"Hatred eats the soul of the hater, not the hated."

A Realization from Rest

You may or may not ave noticed that Grateful Brand went without a post yesterday. This is because I gave in to some of the best rest I have ever been privileged to experience.

The work day was long and after a very raucous weekend, I was in need of rest. When a dinner date with a friend was canceled, I took the opportunity to catch up on some much needed zzz. Bedtime came very early and I woke the next morning feeling amazing, but I had convinced myself that I would wake up before midnight to compose a blog entry of some sort before it was too late.

Needless to say, waking up never happened and what little anxiety and regret I felt for not composing a blog entry yesterday has given way to having absolutely no regrets.

We so often take getting adequate rest for granted due to work and life being relentlessly demanding, pulling us in every conceivable direction.

I would not recommend sleeping through any of your responsibilities, but be sure to make time to get the rest you need. You and your body will be grateful you did.

Patience is Kindness

When we think of what it means to be a responsible person, it is often difficult to fully articulate all that we are responsible for. Understandably, most of us will immediately think of our financial responsibilities or that which allows us to maintain our lives and our family's. We must also consider our emotions in relation to our actions. So many of us fail at being responsible by losing our patience.

Patience is arguably one of the most fragile and least exercised virtues that human beings are capable of exhibiting. As the standard of convenience increases and the human population expands, our collective patience with each other and the world we live in steadily dwindles with every passing year.

One of the leading purposes of Grateful Brand's existence is to encourage the spread of kindness but this encouragement does not stem from a delusional expectation that everyone should drop what they are doing and spread kindness. Reality paints a very different picture.

Patience is a form of kindness. By exercising patience you are letting everyone around you know that there are margins cushioning the projected expectation of perfection, for no one is or can be perfect. 

The following quotes speak of patience and provide insight into ways of thinking that may have previously eluded you.

"Patience serves as a protection against wrongs as clothes do against cold. For if you put on more clothes as the cold increases, it will have no power to hurt you. So in like manner you must grow in patience when you meet with great wrongs, and they will then be powerless to vex your mind."
- Leonardo da Vinci

"Patience with others is Love, Patience with self is Hope, Patience with God is Faith."
- Adel Bestavros

"Patience has its limits. Take it too far, and it's cowardice."
- George Jackson

Hatred vs. Kindness: Some Profound Questions of Faith

Love, compassion and kindness will always win out over hatred. While I do not subscribe to any particular faith, today I am grateful for Rose City Park United Methodist Church for being bold enough to honestly stand for the greater good of humanity, not just their Christian community.

Kindness is kindness, whether you are Atheist or Christian. Hatred is hatred, whether you are Atheist or Christian.

This world is full of self serving individuals who pander hate, intolerance and bigotry as direct messengers from the God in which they believe and serve, but they are wrong. God is not a man in the sky manipulating us as pawns to do his bidding. God is love, compassion and kindness.

God is a Christian, Jew, Muslim etc. who opens his place of worship, his home and his heart to his neighbor without prejudice or judgement. God is an Atheist who is kind, compassionate and loving. An Atheist need not believe in anything to be the best representation of what a divine presence on earth would be, for these qualities are divine in the sense that they are the best of what human beings can be.

Consider this if you will. The predominant faiths of the world promise a better life in heaven if you live your life on Earth as a devout believer. Heaven is a reward that motivates the lives and behaviors of billions of people. If I do 'X', I will get 'Y'.  A kind, compassionate and loving Atheist expects nothing when all is said and done. There is no equation. There is no reward. 

Who is more God-like? What if there were no carrot on a stick dangling just out of reach? Would you still pull the cart?

So You've Made Your Bed

We have all heard the phrase, "you've made your bed, now lay in it." Essentially, you have created a situation that you may not necessarily want to be in, but circumstances make it exceptionally difficult to escape.

Well, whoever said you can't move your bed?

I do not mean to imply that you should not address the problems you are facing, but try addressing them in a new way or in a new environment. Be bold, shed the weight of clutter and distraction. Give yourself room to breath and reflect with clarity on how you ended up where you are. Are you holding onto anything that may be hindering your progress? Perhaps your goals and dreams are ultimately not what is best for you. Perhaps eliminating pressure and stress is the answer. How can this be accomplished? Is the honest answer what you want or need to have happen?

Know that nothing is bad unless we think it is bad. The metaphor of a bed representing a typically bad situation when used in the context of the initial phrase is not very precise. A bed should be a place of peace, rest, calm and even passion, not bad circumstances.

If you have made a bed that you would rather not be in but cannot escape, change the way you think in relation to that bed. The spectrum of resolve and solution is only as broad as you are willing to think about. Circumnavigate. Stoop to conquer. Stoop even lower to conquer. Assess your needs in relation to what you have and what you are striving for.

There is a way, I promise you.

Heavy emotion may be what is tucking you in every night, but let logic help you rise every morning and slowly make strides away from that which chains you to that uncomfortable space.

You Are > 0

This is a very simple equation that we often fail to remember. Sometimes, life has a way of pushing us closer and closer to 0. Some people may live the vast majority of their lives teetering on the cusp of a decimal point. Some chose to throw in the towel, succumbing to 0, believing that life's worth has lost all value.

A fact remains that as long as you are living, there is something to be grateful for. You may have to search high and low or you may have to wait patiently. You may just have to close your eyes and open your heart. However you have to realize that there is something to be grateful for, just know that there is always something as long as you have breath in your body.

0 is the end. We too often respond to life as if we have reached the finale when in actuality, we are leaps and bounds away. Pressure, stress, defeat, etc are all very real, but never let them blind you from that which you are grateful for. Gratitude can very well be a contributing light that ultimately guides you further and further away from 0.

Rick Santorum Will Pray For You

If you have been following the seemingly never ending political hype, you may have noticed a common response to opposition from individuals on both sides of the chasm dividing Republicans and Democrats.

"I'll pray for you."

Nearly all of the current Republican candidates have dropped the phrase at one point or another but none more so than Rick Santorum. If we were to tally all of the "I'll pray for yous" that Rick has dropped during his campaign, we would certainly be counting a lot of blessings, or so we would hope. As mentioned, I have made note of this phrase being used with surprising regularity, but oddly only in the face of opposition or difference.

According to Dictionary.com, prayer is a spiritual communion with God or an object of worship, as in supplication, thanksgiving, adoration, or confession. In the face of opposition, I could absolutely understand praying for strength, endurance or the ability to reason with your foe, but in the context of our current political battle, "I'll pray for you" has become synonymous with (and excuse my language) saying, "fuck you."

No one is, or should be, more politically correct than a politician, but this political correctness often serves as a chameleon-esque disguise, masking their true colors.

Even if Rick Santorum is genuinely praying for those who stand in his way of assuming the presidency, I cannot help but wonder what exactly he is praying for. Their well being, enlightenment, understanding? I would like to believe that he is well intentioned but because of is own proclaimed opposition to that which he does not understand or opposes, I would wager that he prays only for change and conformity.

Unfortunately for Rick, differences exist. "Liberty and Justice for all," or so they say. This is but one reason why so many foreigners flock to the United States, having the freedom to live, work, love and worship freely.

When Rick Santorum asserts that he will pray for his opposition, is he giving them a metaphorical middle finger, praying for them to conform to Santorumism, or praying for the good of the world to prevail in however many forms good, kindness and love can manifest itself?

In all honesty, I wish I did not question his or any politicians motivations or reasoning behind what they utter. I wish honesty and integrity were dependable certainties within the ranks of our elected representatives. Unfortunately, I am left questioning.